Never Let Me Go
by yourxwonderwallx
Summary: "I made a terrible mistake and I need you." She said through her tears. AU 2X12: instead of Ella confronting Ezra this happens...enjoy.
1. Never Let Me Go

**Never Let Me Go**

**A Pretty Little Liars FanFiction**

**Chapter 1 of many**

**Author: yourxwonderwallx**

**A/N: I got this idea watching the scene in the police station when Aria calls Ezra. Title is from Florence and The Machine's **_**Never Let Me Go**_**. Enjoy. Oh yeah, I'm going to go ahead and put my A theory in this because I don't believe Ezra is A. **

Ezra hadn't expected to hear from her. Though he'd be lying if he wasn't happy to hear her voice but that happiness quickly faded into panic when he realized she was crying. He could hear the distress in her voice and all he wanted to do was end it.

When he arrived at the police station Ella Montgomery cornered him. She told him to end it and he struggled to keep from pushing past her and running to Aria. When the police decided to let them go he was waiting outside, he saw her exit. She was covered in dirt from head to toe.

He gave her this pleading look and she took the steps two at a time and jumped into his arms. "I'm so sorry for everything." She whispered, her voice clouded by her tears. She buried her face in the crook of his neck and he held onto her, never wanting to let her go.

"It's okay. Whatever happened is okay." He whispered. "I think they know." He said, putting her on the ground. He could see the looks of her friends and their parents behind them. He saw Byron try to come towards them but Ella pulled him back.

"I don't care, just please don't take me home. I can't." She whispered. "Just get me out of here please." She said and Ezra pulled her close before looking at Ella and seeing her ever so slightly nod her head. Ezra intertwined his hands with Aria's and they left before Ella Montgomery could change her mind.

Ezra took her his car and as soon as she knew she was settled he went to the drivers side and got in. "What happened?" He asked. He noticed Aria take a breath before telling him everything from A to her theory about Alison's murder to how A wanted her to make Jackie disappear. Once they got back to his apartment and handed her one of his shirts before motioning for her to go take a shower. As soon as she got inside there was a knock on his door. He groaned when he saw Jackie on the other side. "What do you want?" He asked and she smiled pushing past him and coming inside. "I have company." He said but it was no use, she was all ready inside.

"I wanted to talk to you." She said simply her eyes noticing the blush pink dress on his bed and the high heels near the door.

"I know you told Aria to stay away from me, you told her you'd tell her parents. I also know that Aria confronted you about the article you plagiarized. She told me everything. Her parents know we are together, or I gather they do since I'm the one who picked Aria up at the police station tonight. I have no respect for you anymore. I want nothing to do with you. I'll be courteous because we work at the same place but that's all you're ever going to get." He said, his voice slightly filled with rage. "Don't come back here again." He said holding the door open for her and slamming it behind her.

He turned to see Aria behind him, dressed in his Hollis shirt and he watched as she went to curl up in his bed. "How much of that did you hear?" He asked as he took off his work clothes leaving him in his boxers and he crawled into the bed, his back facing the wall and pulled her into his arms.

"Enough." She answered. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. Go to sleep. We will deal with the fallout tomorrow. We will deal with it together." He said as he listened to her even breathing as she drifted off to sleep in his arms.

**:+:+:+:+:++:+:+:+:+:+:+:+**

It was pouring down rain and she was soaking wet but she couldn't stay at home. She turned her key in the lock and prayed she didn't hit anything walking in his apartment in the dark. It had been three weeks and she was still having nightmares and panic attacks. She wasn't supposed to be in contact with Ezra but she had been ever since that night. She couldn't stay away.

"It's me." She said as she changed into one of his shirts and crawled into bed with him. He moved over to make room for her and he pulled her very close, her body was flush against his. "I can't sleep without you anymore." She murmured against his chest.

"Me either." He replied. He kept peppering soft kisses into her hair before he finally heard her breathing even out signaling that she was asleep.

Morning arrived and Ezra woke up. He'd slept well the previous night even with Aria's nightmares. He left her sleeping and put on a pot of coffee and walked over to his closet pulling on a pair of black slacks and had just finished buttoning them when he noted the time, and made his way to the bed to wake her up. Ezra made his way over to the bed as he noticed Aria starting to toss and turn followed by her slight screams. "No. Ezra don't." She screamed and he gently shook her, trying to wake her up.

"Aria, I'm right here. No one can hurt me." He whispered gently stroking her arm and placed a soft kiss on her head. A few seconds later her eyes opened and she felt a flood of relief seeing Ezra. "Morning." He said to her and she pulled him in for a kiss.

"Let me get a shower and get dressed." She said leaving the door cracked. He walked over to his closet to pull out a shirt and vest. "You know, I left the door open for a reason." She said and he turned to face her. She was standing there with just a small towel wrapped around her.

"Aria-" he went to say but she walked up to him and kissed him full on the mouth he picked her up wrapping her legs around his waist and walking into the bathroom. He sat her down and she quickly made work of his pants and boxers sliding them down as he removed the towel from her before stepping inside.

He pinned her arms above her head and kissed his way down her neck and chest, kissing each breast and teasing her nipples before kissing his way back up to her lips. Their tongues battled for dominance Wasting no time he pressed his member at her entrance and slowly entered her. He unpinned her hands as he lifted her legs around his waist picking his pace up.

"Ezra." She moaned raking her nails down his back. Her lips left his and moved to the side of his neck just below his ear and kissed him leaving a dark purple hickey forming. She felt her walls start to contract as she felt that familiar sensation in her belly. She knew she was close.

Ezra's lip found their way to the base of her neck and he gently sucked a hickey there before placing one at the peak between her breasts. He knew she shouldn't but he wanted to mark her as his. Their first time had been rushed and a mixture of fear and love about a month after telling her parents. Aria had found an application for an all girls boarding school on Vermont. When she came to him that night she told him she wanted him to have all of her and ever since then when she's around he becomes insatiable, always wanting more of her.

She kissed and sucked at the crook of his beck before moving to kiss his lips again. Ezra braced his arms on the side of the shower as he thrusted into her. He felt his orgasm building and he thrust into her one more time and they came together, loudly screaming out the others name. "I love you." He whispered, unwrapping her legs from his waist.

Aria tried to stand but her legs wouldn't allow it. She braced herself against the shower wall and let out a deep breath. "We should do that every morning." She whispered as he turned the shower off. He helped her out of the shower and she wrapped a towel around her waist she watched as he dried himself off and pulled on his boxers and slacks again before walking out of the bathroom.

Aria gained her bearings as the trembling in her legs subsides. She smiled as she moved to the sink so put her make up on and tame her hair. Once she was done she walked out into main area and saw him standing in the kitchen with a navy blue dress shirt on and a black vest and tie. She smiled and she went to his closet to pull out one of her navy blue dresses with black lace on it. Once she was in her dress she put on a pair of knee high stockings that ended just below her dress and a pair of her combat boots. She also pulled out a black dress blazer with a black pearl and flower arrangement on the right side. She pulled her hair off to the left side and pinned it back, letting the rest of it fall down her shoulders.

"You look amazing." He said and she smiled, a blush creeping onto her cheeks.

"You don't look so bad yourself." She said, pulling him in for a kiss. He lifted her up onto the counter and she pulled him close. "I'm not re applying my make-up." She said sternly pushing him back. He noticed that the dress showed off the part of the hickey he'd left. She smiled when she saw the hickey that had formed on his neck.

"At least you can cover yours up." He said and she slightly hit him in the shoulder.

"I just couldn't resist." She said seductively and he just smiled, a blush creeping on his cheeks.

"You're insatiable. You know that right?" He asked and she smiled.

"So, I got a phone call yesterday afternoon." She said. "It was from the guidance counselor. Remember that poem I wrote in your class?" She asked and he nodded. "It somehow made its way to New York to the dean of English literature and they've reached out to Rosewood. Based on my test scores and grades NYU wants to offer me early admission. I'd start in August and it would be a partial scholarship provided I major in English or something related to it." She said, pushing it all out in one breath.

"Aria, that's amazing." He said pulling her in for a hug. "Are you going to do it?" He asked.

"My parents think it would be a good thing if I did though their concern is that it would get me away from you." She said. "But, I'd love to do it. It would be amazing but there's one thing that's stopping me." She said quietly adding that last part.

"What?" He asked.

"You. I don't think I can be that far away from you." She said, tears starting to form in her eyes.

"I don't want you to base this decision solely on me but it would get you away from A." He said and he could see the tears starting to fall. "Aria, I don't want us to be over. I want you to be safe. The last three months have been hell. I've been actively looking for another teaching job outside of Rosewood just so I could be out from under your fathers thumb. I just didn't know how to tell you." He admitted and she got a mischievous grin on her face.

"Come with me. You can start at a school in New York in August." She said excitedly then paused. "I mean if that's what you want." She added in an almost whisper.

"There's nothing more I'd want I just don't want to hold you back or get in the way." He said and he cupped his face in her hands.

"When I look into my future all I see if you. All I want is you." She said and he kissed her passionately sliding her blazer off of her shoulders. She smiled into this kiss as he pushed them back on the couch and she untied his tie.

Aria knew she was going to miss first period but somehow with his lips on hers she could careless.


	2. State Of Grace

**Never Let Me Go**

**A Pretty Little Liars FanFiction**

**Chapter 2: State Of Grace**

**Author: yourxwonderwallx**

**A/N: So, for those of you who didn't notice the quote at the end of the first chapter and a lot of you probably didn't it's from the Buffy The Vampire Slayer Episode in season 2 called **_**Bad Eggs**_**. Yes, I know it makes me a nerd for remembering that quote exactly but anyhow on with the story. Oh yeah, it would be nice if reviews were left. I'm not demanding them in order for me to update but it would be nice if some were left every now and then. **

**A/N 2: Oh yeah with the 3 month time jump lets say that this story is now in the beginning of May **

Aria skidded into first period five minutes after the bell rang. She had decided to put her hair up in a bun with tendrils hanging down to frame her face. She smelled like sex and Ezra, she was just hoping her mother wouldn't notice.

She quickly sat down and opened her notebook taking notes on what her mother had written on the board. Ella then proceeded to hand out an assignment and Aria spent the better part of the period working on it. Once the bell rand she was the first one out of her seat and she ran straight to the bathroom.

"Aria?" She heard Spencer call running in behind her with Emily and Hanna following.

"What's up?" She asked as she adjusted her jacket and fixed her hair.

"Why were you late?" Hanna asked.

"You're normally early when you stay with Ezra." Emily said and Aria blushed.

"We got preoccupied." She said, her eyes darting directly to the ground. "More than once." She added causing Hanna and Emily to fake gag and Spencer to gently nudge her in the shoulder.

"So did you tell him about New York?" Spencer asked and Aria nodded, a smile creeping on her face.

"He's coming with me." She said and once the words left her mouth she was smiling more than she ever thought she could. "By August I'll be free." She said and she was ready to jump up and down with excitement. "We'll both be free." She said, feeling a wave of relief wash over her.

"We found more pictures of your Ali's affair with that married man." Spencer blurted and Aria's eyes went wide. "I think you're going to want to see them." She added and pulled out her phone, handing it to Aria.

Her eyes grew wide when she saw it was clearly her father cuddling up to Alison and kissing her. "So do you think he could've killed Ali?" Aria asked and the girls slowly nodded their heads.

"It makes sense. She got angry with him having that affair and they got into an argument when it ended." Hanna said and Aria felt tears welling in her eyes.

"So, do we think my dad is A?" Aria asked. Her mind started working overtime. She couldn't help but think how her father had been the one to show up after her mom after Ian attacked Spencer at the church and he was the one that called Aria to tell her Hanna was in an accident and then there was the fact that he didn't react the way she thought when she and Ezra told her parents about their relationship. She was also the only one who hadn't been physically attacked by A at all in any form. She hadn't received the brunt of A's wrath. "He's got to be A. He's got to be." Aria muttered as they left the bathroom when the warning bell rang. "He's got to have someone at this school working with him though." Aria added walking down the hall. The girls went their separate ways. Aria and Emily to chem, Hanna to history and Spencer to AP Russian lit.

Aria's day flew by and she'd spent her lunch hour discussing options with her parents and the representative from NYU. Her eyes widened in response to the idea of emancipation. She tried to keep her mouth shut as they discussed the reasons for doing it though all she wanted to do was smile. Once the meeting was over she thanked the woman for coming down and she and her parents continued to talk while Aria decided to skip the rest of her classes that day.

It was becoming unreasonable her desire for him. Ever since that night she felt like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. She felt more connected to him than ever and she relished that fact. She knew he was teaching freshman English so she decided to crash his course just for the sake of seeing him in action.

She snuck into his class with ease though she could tell he knew something was up. She watched as he turned around his smile brighter than when he walked into the room. She knew she'd been busted. "All right let's pick up where we last left off. I believe we were discussing Shakespeare's 116th sonnet. Do I have a volunteer to read it out loud?" He asked and no hands went up. "How about an A on the next pop quiz?" He asked causing every hand in the room to stir to life though he saw her sitting there with wide eyes and he decided to call on her.

"Go on." He said leaning against the podium.

"_Let me not unto the marriage of true minds admit impediments.__  
__Love is not love__  
__Which alters when it alteration finds,__  
__Or bends with the remover to remove:__  
__O no! It is an ever-fixed mark__  
__That looks on tempests and is never shaken;__  
__It is the star to every wandering bark,__  
__Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.__  
__Love's not time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks__  
__Within his bending sickle's compass come:__  
__Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,__  
__But bears it out even to the edge of doom.__  
__If this be error and upon me proved,__  
__I never writ, nor no man ever loved._"

She finished with her cheeks to color of cherries and a smile so wide she was sure of cheeks were going to start hurting, the entire class was stunned silent. "So can anyone tell me what this means?" He asked and again Aria's hand went up.

"I think it's about love in the most pure and simple form. I think it also shows that love knows no bounds meaning that sexual orientation, or age need apply because when it's real nothing can stop it. I also think that it's about never giving up even when the odds are against you and that even in the darkest storms it never falters. Shakespeare also states at the end that if he was wrong that he will take back all he's written and he goes as far as to say that no man has ever truly loved." She said, with the class still silent.

"Thank you." Ezra simply said. "All right I want a paper by the next class 2,500 words or more on this sonnet. Draw from real life examples. That's it for today everyone." He said and the student jumped up and filed out of the lecture hall.

"So did I get an A on the next quiz?" She asked with a sly smile as she walked towards the podium.

"I think you need to a little extra credit." He whispered with a Cheshire grin on his face, pulling her into his arms and kissing her. The kiss was sweet at first but Aria melted into his touch and she ran her tongue along his bottom lip begging for entrance that he happily granted. He pressed her against the white board and her leg wrapped around his waist. She wrapped her arms around his waist pulling him flush against her as the broke apart.

"How about that A?" She asked, a smile spreading across her cheeks. She could help but giggle as he gathered his things and took her hand leading her to his office.

"My parents and I had lunch with the lady from NYU and they are considering emancipation." She blurted as they walked inside.

"I didn't expect that." He said sitting his satchel down.

"Me either." She said in agreement. "You're not going to change your mind are you?" She whispered, her eyes threatening tears.

"Not in a million years." He whispered pulling her close.

"I think now more than ever my dad is A or maybe Meredith but she has no reason to be A so I don't know. God this is making my head hurt." She groaned and Ezra pulled her to the couch and sat down, placing her in his lap, her back towards him.

"I know things are tense right now but you can't get worked up. A will think they have the upper hand if you do." He said, his hands moving to each of her shoulders massaging gently. His fingers gently rubbing away the tension in her shoulders. "Feel good?" He whispered in her ear.

"Don't stop." She said, letting out a soft moan. "Don't ever stop." She said as she felt the tension leaving her body.

She leaned back to him, her back pressed against his chest before she turned around, straddling his thighs and kissed him. "I love you." He moaned as she ground her pelvis to his. "We can't not here." His said breathlessly and moved Aria off of his lap. "As much as I'd love to do that someone could walk in and we have discovered that this door doesn't lock." He said trying to catch his breath.

"Sorry. I got carried away." She said with an innocent undertone and he couldn't help but grin as he pulled her close to him.

"We need to figure out how I'm going to move to New York without your father questioning us." He said suddenly and she nodded.

"Well you have Wes and Addison. Use the excuse of having to move back home to take care of them and explain the situation to the dean. Surely he will understand." Aria said quickly before nestling into his side.

"All right. I'll make an appointment to speak with him tomorrow morning. We need to find out more information on A though and store it in a safe place." He said and she hummed in agreement. "Don't fall asleep. I've got class in half an hour." He said causing her to shove his side.

"I know. I've got to go home and explain why I ditched class anyways." She said, defeated. "But I'll be over later tonight." She said kissing him again before leaving his office. She stopped dead in her tracks when she heard Jackie's voice coming from the other end of the hallway. She ran back into Ezra's office and left the door cracked motioning for him to be quiet and pulled her phone out edging it close to the door to record the conversation.

"So do we have a plan yet?" Jackie asked as they paused outside the door.

"Yes. I'm waiting on Byron to confirm but it looks like tonight." The other woman said and Aria's eyes went wide when she realized it was Meredith. "I'm going to talk to Byron again to be sure. Get Mona and make the plan is in place." She said.

"Why is Byron doing this to his daughter?" Jackie asked.

"It was my idea to go after Aria. She needs to know she can't frame me for something and get away with it. Byron got his revenge on Alison now it's my turn. I'm going to make Aria suffer like I did." Meredith said.

"Leave Ezra out of this. He didn't ask to be involved." Jackie pleaded.

"You're too far in this to care if he gets hurt. You came to me before you wanted that bitch to suffer. If he gets hurt then he gets hurt." Meredith said and they parted ways. Aria quickly pushed stop on the recorder.

"Nothing is going to happen to me." He whispered pulling her close to him. "I promise." He added before letting her go. She looked up at him through her lashes as he lifted her chin with his finger before placing a kiss on her lips. The kiss quickly grew heated and they pulled away after a few minutes grasping for breath.

Once Aria made it to Spencer's she found that Emily, Hanna, and Caleb were there as well as Toby. "Sorry I'm late. I found something." Aria said and pulled her phone out. She replayed the conversation for the group.

"What did Ezra say?" Emily asked.

"He knows. I recorded this from his office. After the news I got at lunch I had to see him. But whatever is happening is happening tonight." Aria said. She jumped out of her skin when her phone rang. "Hello?" She asked and she rolled her eyes. It was her father telling her to get home. Once she hung up she let the tears fall.

Spencer's phone chimed, as did Aria's, Emily's and Hanna's. Though Aria didn't both to pick hers up.

_Tragedy strikes. Rosewood's favorite teacher dies tonight. –A_

"What did the bitch have to say?" Aria asked drying her tears and Spencer showed Aria the phone. It took everything inside of her not to strangle Meredith and Jackie right now. She knew they were both teaching late classes at Hollis. "If something happens to him because of me I will never forgive myself." Aria whimpered falling into Spencer's embrace.

"He'll be okay." Emily said gently rubbing circles into her back.

"I need someone to go to him and tell him I had to go home early because of my dad. Tell him to leave and never look back." Aria whispered. "And, tell him B-26." She added in a silent reverie before she left.

She walked in her house feeling as dejected as she looked. She couldn't contact him online, Jackie was probably hacking into his e-mail and she couldn't use her phone. Her parents had blocked his number. She immediately fell on her bed, her body wracked with sobs.

She couldn't stop. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't stop crying. She looked at her phone and it was a text from Spencer from almost an hour ago telling her they'd split up to follow Meredith and Jackie. She quickly responded and they gave her the address.

Aria was quick to change into black boots, black skinny jeans and a black top before taking the stairs two at a time storming out of her house and into her car. She found her way to the address that Spencer had provided and parked her car a few blocks away.

Aria quickly spotted the girls and ran to them as they watched Ezra's confrontation with who they assumed to be A or someone working for them. "What's he doing here?" She hissed.

"He told us to let him go." Hanna said and Aria found a pair of strong arms around her waist as she tried to lunge forward.

"Let me go." She hissed but Caleb had a strong grip on her.

She gave up trying to break free and settled for listening to their conversation. "I told you to leave town." The man said.

"Why leave?" Ezra asked. "So you can kill Aria?" He taunted. "Her friends?" He asked again. "If you had a problem with Alison DiLaurentis why go after her friends. They didn't know you were sleeping with her." Ezra said and Aria's eyes grew wide. A was her father. She had been right.

"I told you to stay away from my daughter. You didn't listen. You weren't apart of the plan. Now you pay the price for interfering." Byron said lowering his hood and taking out a gun.

He pointed it at Ezra and just like that two bullets were fired into his chest and Byron left him lying there, leaving him for dead. Aria kicked Caleb swiftly before running to him. "You're gonna be okay." She whispered to him, kneeling down next to him.

"I was trying to protect you." He said his breathing slowing down.

"You were supposed to protect yourself." She whispered, laying his head on her knees and leaning down to kiss his forehead. "Just stay awake. Spencer is calling for help. Just keep talking to me." She insisted as his eyes tried to close.

When the ambulance arrived Aria was a mess. They pushed her out of the way loading him onto a gurney to transport him to the nearest hospital which was in Philadelphia. She only hoped he survived. "Miss, I need his name." The EMT asked her.

"It's Tom Radley." She said quickly. Hoping no one would look for him under this name.

"And what's your relationship to the victim?" He asked.

"I'm his wife. Jem." She answered quickly. "Can I ride with him?" She asked and the man only nodded.

"His injury is too severe. You can follow us." He said and she nodded she walked back to her friends, eyes brimming with tears.

"They want me to follow them." She said sullenly.

"Come on Toby can drive Spencer's car back." Hanna said before they piled into Aria's car and followed the ambulance.

Once they arrived Aria was given a mountain of forms to fill out as best as she could. Once she handed them all in she went to sit beside Spencer curling into her side trying and failing not to cry. "It's my fault." She said startling everyone. "I never should've called him when I was at the police station." She added and Spencer started stroking her hair, trying to calm her down.

"He was trying to protect you just like Caleb and Toby have been trying to do for me and Spence." Hanna said and Aria knew she was right but she couldn't help but blame herself. If he died because of her she didn't know if she would be able to forgive herself.

"Family for Tom Radley?" The doctor asked coming out. Aria looked behind the doctors shoulders and dawn was brimming on the horizon. She hadn't sleep, none of them had.

"I'm his wife." She said.

"I'm Dr. Whitson. The bullets ricocheted off of his ribs breaking them and the fragments punctured his right lung. He is going to be unconscious for a day or so and he will have a chest tube for about a week. He's going to be fine. I don't want to alarm you but his heart did stop beating for about two minutes when he arrived from the field. I'm listing his condition as critical but stable." The woman finished. "You husband will be unconscious for a while so I would go home take a shower, get something to eat and come back this afternoon." She said and Aria nodded.

"Aria we recorded it. The entire conversation. Ezra told us to so we could use it as evidence." Spencer said and Aria pulled her into an embrace.

"I wanna go to the cops. Now. Not in a month when we have more. Now. We have everything we need to destroy my father." She quipped. She knew the ramifications of turning him in but she had to do it. He almost killed Ezra. He was sleeping with one of her best friends. This was ending today.

They all piled in Spencer's SUV and headed back to Rosewood leaving Caleb and Toby behind to watch out for Ezra. Their first stop was the police station. Once inside they gave Detective Wilden everything they had. They started from the beginning told them about A. They turned their phones in as evidence because they kept every text. They told him about Dr. Sullivan and the night they were arrested. They gave him the pictures of Alison and Byron Montgomery. They played him the recording of Jackie and Meredith. Then last the played the video of Byron shooting Ezra.

"Ms. Montgomery you realize what you're doing right?" Wilden asked and she nodded.

"Ezra was dead for two minutes. Alison is dead. My father killed her. I want him to pay for this." She said sternly.

"Where is Ezra now?"

"He's at a hospital in Philly. I used a pseudonym for him so my father can't find him." She stated. "They also believe I'm his wife." She added.

"You and Ezra Fitz have been seeing one another since he quit Rosewood I assume." Wilden said and Aria felt her breath hitch in her throat.

"Before he started at Rosewood actually. We meet the day before school started." She said, her voice dropping.

"So this is a consensual relationship?" He asked and she nodded. "He's off the hook. You came clean which is what I've wanted. You have the evidence to back up your claims and I know each of you are telling me the truth. I want you all to live your lives. I'm taking this to the DA to get a warrant." He said. "Aria does your father know you know?" He asked her and she shook her head. "Good. I need you to keep it that way." He added and she groaned.

"For how long?" She asked.

"However long it takes. I'm writing each of you a pass for school. Spencer I'm going to go ahead and call your mother to make sure she knows about this conversation." Wilden said handing each of the girls a slip of paper.

They went to school. Though Aria didn't feel safe. She wasn't able to concentrate on the history quiz she had. All she wanted was to be at that hospital with Ezra. She felt Spencer drop something into her pocket as she passed by her. Once Aria sat down in her mother's classroom at the end of the day she pulled out two ID cards. Once for her and Ezra with the names she'd given the hospital.

"Would you like to tell me where you were last night?" Ella asked sitting down at a desk in front of her daughter.

"I was with the girls. I really was. Ezra had something to do." She said dejectedly. "I'm sorry I didn't call. I turned my phone off." She said. She was partially telling the truth. Her phone had actually died and she hadn't charged it.

"Your father said Ezra didn't come into work today." Ella said and Aria immediately looked up. "He said he went to Ezra's and there was no answer." She added.

"Why does he car?" She asked. "He tried to get him fired not long ago." Aria brutally said. "He doesn't give a damn about Ezra and quite frankly I'm starting to wonder if he even gives a damn about me." She hissed.

"Take that back. Your father loves you." She said and Aria just rolled her eyes.

"He sure does a good job of hiding it." She muttered. "Look I didn't get a lot of sleep last night and I have homework to do." She said moving to get up but Ella grabbed her arm.

"Why were you at the police station?" She asked.

"We found out some information on Ali's killer. We went to Detective Wilden with it. He's arresting them." She said standing up. She told her mother only what was necessary.

"So this mess is finally over?"

"I think so." She said leaving the classroom. She skipped after lunch again and headed home to change. As she was heading down the stairs her father grabbed her arm.

"Why aren't you in school?" He asked.

"I have an appointment with Dr. Sullivan." She lied. She was on her way to Philadelphia to the hospital to see Ezra.

"Have you talked to him?" Byron asked, disdain and rage in his voice. Aria looked to his eyes and they were dark.

"Nope. You told me I couldn't remember?" She said with a rebellious tone. "Dad, I'm going to be late." She said and his grip on her arm tightened. "Let me go." She said, half screaming.

"I'll take you." He said and she tried not to look alarmed.

"I want you nowhere near me." She hissed yanking her arm out of his grasp. She looked down and there was a bruise all ready starting to form. She jumped when there was a knock at the door. She quickly ran down the stairs.

Once she opened the door she saw to uniform cops and Detective Wilden.


	3. Together

**Never Let Me Go**

**A Pretty Little Liars FanFiction**

**Chapter 3: Together**

**Author: yourxwonderwallx**

**A/N: I'm going to start this off by saying something that I've never actually had to say before when writing: please don't leave any hurtful or negative reviews. **

**Also, to the anonymous viewer named A who told me to go kill myself and that I was ugly and fat: THANK YOU so much for pointing out to me what I all ready know. I mean, really what a way to screw with someone's self confidence. Furthermore, telling someone to go kill themselves isn't a phrase that you should just throw around. I've tried to kill myself numerous times because of bullies just like you and I'm 22 years old and seeing that phrase doesn't get any easier. NO ONE, and I repeat, NO ONE deserves to be talked to in such a derogatory manner. Just because it's over the computer cyberbullying is still as bad as real life bullying. So, to all of you who actually take the time to read this: please think before you type or speak. You NEVER know what someone is dealing with when you decide to put them down. **

"Aria is your father home?" Wilden asked and she moved aside to let the officers inside.

"He's upstairs in his study." She said. "I thought you said it would take time?" She quietly hissed.

"The DA issued a search warrant for here and his office as Hollis and your house here. We also found that he has land in his name up near the Hastings lake house." Wilden said quietly. "He also issued an arrest warrant for him based on the footage off of Spencer's phone." He added. "But I am going to have to get a statement from Ezra." He noted and she sighed.

"I don't know if he's awake yet." She said barely above a whisper. "His study is the second door on the right. His bedroom is the first on the right." She told them, hoping she would be able to talk to Wilden alone.

"Execute the warrants. Aria's bedroom is off limits as well as her brothers. Every other room is fair game. We clear?" Wilden asked. The men nodded and headed up the stairs.

"Even if he is awake there's a chance he may not remember what happened. He died on the way to the hospital so there could've been brain damage." She said her eyes darting to the stairs hoping her father wasn't listening.

"I'll wait until he's awake but I do need to talk to him." He pressed again.

"I'll call you when I see the doctor. I should've all ready left." She said hoping he'd let her leave.

"Call my cell when you find out what they say." He replied handing her a business card. "Aria you don't have to worry. No one is going to know that you or your friends turned him in." Wilden said reassuringly and she forced a smile.

"I'll call you later." She whispered and left the house.

Once she was in the safety of her car she took a breath and left. She parked her car at Ezra's and took his car. She didn't want anyone to think that he was at home and she also didn't want anyone coming to look for him.

The drive to Philly seemed to stretch on forever. Once she finally got inside the hospital she made her way to Ezra's room. She could feel the tears springing to life as she walked inside shutting the glass door. She pulled the curtain and she went to sit by his bed and grabbed his hand.

"You have to wake up." She whimpered. "I can't do this without you." She said the tears freely falling. She was beginning to wonder if she would ever be happy again. She laid her head against the side of the bed and closed her eyes hoping she would be able to take a quick nap.

She felt her should being shaken sometime later and when she woke up the sun wasn't shining anymore. "Mrs. Radley." The doctor said and she quickly sat up. "I was just going over your husbands paperwork and we need a copy of the ID Spencer had handed her. "Thank you and I'll have the nurse bring this right back." She said handing it over. "Now I want to talk with you about your husband." She said and Aria's face fell. "He did well in surgery. His blood pressure has stabilized and the swelling in his brain has gone down tremendously. If within the next 48 hours he wakes up and can breathe on his own we will remove the chest tube." She said and Aria nodded. "He will still have to stay here for a while until he is ready to return home." She added and Aria let out a huge breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

"Do you have any idea how long it will be before he wakes up?" She asked and she doctor nodded.

"It could be in an hour, it could be within 48 hours." She answered and Aria just nodded. "Mrs. Radley, if your husband survives the next 24 hours he will be just fine. He will be out of the woods then." She said and left the room as the nurse was coming back in handing her Ezra's ID.

Once the nurse left she started pacing. She finally gave in and called Wilden to see what had happened with her father. Of course he kept the conversation short and sweet, or as sweet as he could be. He briefly told her that at the lake property her father had there was more than enough evidence. He said that Meredith and Jackie were also in custody. She felt a sigh of relief knowing that it was over. Wilden said that he'd fill her in when he came to get Ezra's statement and she briefly told him what the doctor had said and the hospital he was in as well as the name he was under. Aria settled into the oversized chair by Ezra's bed with the blanket and pillow the nurse had brought in for her and she took Ezra's hand inside hers before drifting off to sleep.

The next morning Aria woke up and the room was spinning. She barely made it into the bathroom before dry heaving into the toilet. She groaned and splashed some water on her face before going back. She pulled her hair up in a bun and checked her phone. She jumped when the door slid open and following Detective Wilden inside was her mother and Veronica Hastings, Ashley Marin and Pam Fields.

"They insisted on coming with me." He said clearly showing a hint of remorse in his voice.

"The tube can't come out until he wakes up so they can see if he can breathe on his own." Aria said quietly. "He could wake up anytime now." She quickly added and Wilden nodded. She didn't bother making eye contact with her mother. She couldn't.

"Good morning." The nurse said walking in. "I brought this for you Mrs. Radley. You slept most of yesterday afternoon." She said placing the try on the night side table. "You need to eat something." She kindly said before taking Ezra's vitals and leaving the room.

"Mrs. Radley?" Ella asked incredulously. Aria knew that tone well, it was anger mixed with concern.

"I lied to the paramedics. Told them a fake name for Ezra and they asked who I was and I panicked. I needed to be able to know what was going on." She said closing her eyes as another wave of nausea rushed over her.

"I see. He filled us in on the way. Your fathers arraignment is this morning here in Philadelphia." Ella said and Aria just rolled her eyes.

"You must be crazy if you think I'm going." She said. She suddenly felt something squeezing her hand and she turned to face Ezra. His eyes were open and he was coughing, trying to push the tube out. "Get the doctor." Aria yelled in the general direction of her mother. "It's okay. Just calm down the doctor will be in here shortly." She cooed in his ear before pressing a kiss to his forehead.

"This is good thing." Dr. Whitson said as she asked everyone to step from the room as she removed the tube. A few minutes later she came out of the room. "Is everyone family?" She asked.

"This is detective assigned to my husbands case and my mother and her friends." Aria quickly said and the woman nodded.

"Mrs. Radley why don't we go in here with the detective and your mother and you can fill her friends in when we are done." She said. "Ladies, there's a waiting room down the hall." She said before closing the sliding glass door behind her.

"Aria." He whispered, his voice raspy and she moved to sit on the left side of his bed so she wouldn't interfere with the chest tube.

"You're okay." She said wiping tears from her face.

"Mr. Radley you sustained a few broken ribs when you were shot. Some of the fragments punctured your right lung. As soon as the paramedics got you to the hospital the paramedics said your heart stopped for about two minutes. You were taken into surgery and it went very well. You've been unconscious about 24 hours. The chest tube will have to stay in about a week so I'm afraid you're stuck here until then." She said. "I'll be back in a few hours to check on you. I'm going to order a liquid diet for 24 to 36 hours and if you can handle that then we will work you up to solid food." She said and he nodded and she left the room.

As soon as Wilden thought it was safe he moved closer to Ezra. "When you're up for it I'd like to get your statement." He said. "Aria knows how to contact me." He said and turned to Ella. "The arraignment starts in 20 minutes. We need to get going." He noted and she followed him out of the room.

"Explain." He said, clasping his left hand with hers.

"I didn't want to give the doctors your real name so I said you were Tom Radley and that I was your wife Jem Radley. We gave everything including footage of you being shot to the police and they arrested my father, Meredith and Jackie. The arraignment is taking place in Philadelphia because of the charges it's a federal case."

"Only you would come up with aliases from _To Kill A Mockingbird_." He mused and she smiled as he lifted his arm and let her curl into his side. "I didn't expect to get shot when I went to confront your father." He said and she looked up at him and placed a kiss to his temple.

"I know you were trying to protect me but it's all over now." She said, tears threatening to fall. "I almost lost you." She whimpered and he pulled her close.

"I'll always be here. You can't get rid of me." He said and she smiled. "You told your mom?" He asked and she shook her head.

"She came with Wilden to the arraignment along with Mrs. Hasting, Mrs. Marin and Mrs. Fields. I guess they wanted to be sure my father isn't getting bail." She answered and they fell into a comfortable silence and Aria was just starting to fall asleep when her stomach growled.

"How long has it been since you've eaten?" He asked with a slight smirk.

"Over a day at least." She said and he shook his head.

"You need to eat something." He mused.

"I'll just eat some of your soup." She answered and he just shook his head again.

"Go get you some solid food." He ordered and she just shook her head.

"I will later, I promise." She said before closing her eyes again.

The rest of the week passed. Ezra's chest tube was taken out after 7 days and Spencer brought Aria the work she was assigned from school. The nurses had brought in a cot for Aria and Ezra was released two days later.

She had all but moved in with him, taking care of him. This didn't please her mother but Aria honestly didn't know if she could trust her mother anymore, not after the arraignment and certainly not after Ella kept pressing her to see her father. Aria just wanted to be out of Rosewood. She knew all she was going to be known for was being Byron Montgomery's daughter. She wasn't going to be known for anything else and she couldn't handle that. NYU was a fresh start for her. It was a chance for her and for Ezra to be together without the looks and the stares. The thoughts of starting over with him were enough to keep her smiling even with everything else going on around her.

Things had finally returned to normal, well semi-normal. It was towards the end of May and they were nestled on the couch in his loft and she was lazily studying for finals when she felt another wave of nausea hit her. Of course she'd caught the flu from being at the hospital so much and being so stressed out. Aria groaned as she brushed her teeth, trying to get the vomit grime and smell out of her mouth.

"I thought you were over the flu?" He asked as she came out of the bathroom.

"The trial starts next week and with finals my nerves are shot to hell." She groaned and he handed her a glass of water and she downed it. "I'm sorry. This shouldn't get to me. I shouldn't let it but it is." She said as he walked them over to the bed and they crawled on the bed.

"Get some rest. You have your last two finals tomorrow and then you're free." He said and she turned to face him and smiled.

"I love you." She whispered. "I don't know what I would've done if I lost you." She whispered in his ear, tears threatening to fall. "I know I've said it a lot but I didn't realize how much I loved you until that night. I knew I loved you, I knew I needed you but I just didn't know how much." She said turning to lie on her side facing him. She ran her fingers through his hair and down his cheek.

"I love you too." He whispered brushing a strand of hair behind her head. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about my plan. I just wanted to protect you." He said softly.

"And, I'm so grateful for that but you don't have to protect me anymore." She said inching closer to him and he closed the distance by reaching out and pulling her flush against him. He leaned in to kiss her running his tongue across her bottom lip asking for entrance, which she gladly granted. "The doctor said no sex for another week."

"I'm fine." He urged resuming their kiss. He rolled them over where he was on top of her. Aria opened her legs so that he could fit in between and he lifted her shirt up off of her head and unclasped her bra and throwing it across the room.

She smirked and flipped them over, sliding his shirt over his head and gently kissing his neck and down his chest, her tongue gently biting each of his nipples before kissing her way down his chest. She licked his treasure trail and she could feel him clench beneath her and he pulled her back up and flipped them over.

"No teasing." He whispered as he pulled her shorts and panties off of her. He gently bit her lip as she pushed his pants down and he kicked them off. He smirked as he slipped one finger in her folds, feeling how wet she was. She gasped as she pulled him down for another kiss.

"I thought you said no teasing." She whispered and he smiled.

"I was just making sure you were ready." He smirked and she giggled as he positioned himself between her legs. He pushed himself inside and she cried out from the intrusion. He let her adjust to him before he started thrusting. Aria wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him in for another kiss.

Aria wrapped her legs around his waist once he started thrusting more, her attempt to push him deeper inside of her. A few thrusts later, his breathing was becoming erratic and her moans were turning into screams. "Ezra." She screamed. She felt her orgasm threatening to rip through her.

A few thrusts later Aria's toes curled and her orgasm ripped through her body causing her eyes to roll back in her head. As soon as her scream left the air Ezra moaned her name, his orgasm ripping through him. He collapsed on top of her panting. She kissed the beads of sweat from his forehead.

When he pulled out of her and rolled over he winced as his head hit the pillow. "Hope it was worth it." She mused getting under the covers and cuddling up to him.

"Why wouldn't it have been?" He asked and she smiled, placing her hand over his heart.

"Because no more sex." She giggled, looking up at him through her lashes. "I saw you wince when you rolled over." She added and he groaned.

"It wasn't from pain." He quickly added and she just shook her head.

"So when I run my fingers over your ribs on the right you won't tense up?" She asked moving her hand closer to the hurt part of his chest. He quickly stopped her hand. "Case in point." She said reaching behind her to turn the light off.

"I love you." He whispered, kissing her hair softly.


End file.
